ornaments & decorations

[Nsmall809]

Hi!

I am interested to know if certain ornaments / decorations can effect fish tank?
I have been reading about them and seen a couple of mixed things regarding certain ones.

Just wondering what your thoughts are?

i was under the impression decorating the tank will make the fish more comfortable, and as such will be stressed and uncomfortable if they feel exposed and vulnerable in the tank.

Another reason i am asking is i did have a tree hut house and i removed it as it was getting dirty quickly, no matter how many times i soaked it in the correct solution, and i dont like the thought of cleaning it constantly in the solution.
and since removing my fish are a lot happier. but i am now starting to think the same about some of my artificial plants in there. one of them gets dirty very very quickly.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Really depends on the quality of the ornaments and decorations, and whether they are made to go in aquariums.

Even aquarium products, if you buy cheap, they can leech paint or resins into the water.

Driftwood, rocks, real plants are the safest way to go. Make sure any rock is an aquarium safe inert type of rock. If you buy artificial stuff, get it from a reputable LFS and dont skimp.

You shouldn't need any cleaning solution. Just rinse and brush off with a toothbrush. Whats making it dirty? Like a brown algae?

 

[Nsmall809]

Hi Aiken,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes i have been looking at driftwood and rocks, but never had them before so was a bit unsure.
Yes algae mainly, but its always on the same plant. the others are fine, i only have a couple. but this certain one constantly has build up on it so i am going to remove it i think, i am worried about bacteria waste and sludge build up on them etc to be honest.

I usually use Interpet Plastic Plant and Ornament Cleaner with a toothbrush too. But then obviously i rinse properly before putting them back in.
But now i am wondering if this is also one of my problems to do with my bad nitrate levels (which i am currently trying to manage thanks to your help on my original post)

But yeah i was just interested to know the information regarding ornaments etc.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Maybe your plant is in an area with high lighting and/ or low flow, so its just where algae will tend to grow/ and where detritus accumulates. Whether its a plastic ornament, piece of driftwood, live plant, or pile of rocks, that wont change.

You cant get away from tank maintenance. If you have lights algae will grow to a greater or lesser degree. If you keep fish they will create waste that periodically needs cleaning up.

 

[Nsmall809]

Maybe your plant is in an area with high lighting and/ or low flow, so its just where algae will tend to grow/ and where detritus accumulates. Whether its a plastic ornament, piece of driftwood, live plant, or pile of rocks, that wont change.

You cant get away from tank maintenance. If you have lights algae will grow to a greater or lesser degree. If you keep fish they will create waste that periodically needs cleaning up.

Thank you for your reply.
It could possibly be , yes understandably you can't get away from it I get that, I enjoy cleaning etc to be honest with in my tank.

It was just more I was thinking if it was causing any problems etc with in the tank, as the others were fine. And I would rather not clean it in solution all the time either due to the chemicals. I know I rinse it before putting it back in but in my mind it still wasn't good for the fish, hence why I was just thinking on removing it.

 

[ColdKoi]

I’m a firm believer in using ‘real’ decorations. It’s not uncommon for certain types of resin decorations to leech chemicals. I personally stick to rock and live plant

Not that I’ve got thousands of dollars worth of fish or anything, but I’d still hate for a $10 decoration to wipe out my tank!

If it’s only one decorative plant that’s getting buildup of algae, like mentioned it probably has a lot to do with its placement in the tank (water flow/lighting) as well as a difference in Color could even be a factor

Algae isn’t something that has to be a pain in your neck, but it is always going to be there no matter what you do. It just takes a while to get a tank balanced and I think a lot of it just has to do with aging over time. A tank that’s cycled still has a long way to go before it’s seasoned and that can only be achieved with time.

In a tank that’s 6 months old or less, you’re going to have to deal with algae unless the tank is extremely poorly lit, it’s just part of the fun. From what I’ve found, when the tank is in that 6mo-1y range, as long as you’re not doing anything drastic and keep a regular schedule, the tank seems to find its happy place. Even with a lot of light for the plants, fertilizer and all that jazz, it seems like the algae slows right down

 

[ADsnail]

Who lives in there? Some creatures are poopier than others, some are food wasters more than others (food gets moldy, disintegrates, etc.). And some are cleaners who, while they won't clean up poop, will help with types of algae and also gobble up leftover food. Snails are good for this; I also see them sweep 'stuff' of all kinds off surfaces as they travel along, knocking it to the floor, where it can more readily be vacuumed up.